B12 & Folate advice needed again!: Today i... - Thyroid UK

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B12 & Folate advice needed again!

nikki2975 profile image
19 Replies

Today i finally received my 5000mcg of B12 (Jarrow) and Magnesium Citrate and B Complex (Thorne).

I know i need to take them one at a time to make sure i have no reactions to them and then to now which one is causing it if i do but i wanted to ask... Since the B12 and Folate go together...should i take the B12 & Complex together as that has the folate in?

I also don't know which to take first and how far apart i should take them? when i've moved a lot (mostly at work) and sit down i get a lot of pain within a minute of sitting down when trying to get up so i was thinking that I should take the Magnesium first but i really need the better sleep and energy from the Folate & B12 as i'm running on fumes atm.

Also, no further info came with them only to take 1 a day so just wanted to ask

What the best times are to take them? morning or evening?

With or Without Food?

Is there anything else i should take with them?

I have just been prescribed D3 20,000IU - One to take every 2 weeks which i also need to start and then the Iron. Not sure how to fit them all in.

Any advise really appreciated :)

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SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering

nikki2975 It doesn't really matter which order you take them in, but as you mention sleep you could start with the magnesium citrate. I take Natural Calm magnesium citrate as it's supposed to help relax you and aid sleep. Take that in the evening. Give it a week and if no problems go onto the next one. I don't take mine with food but it's a powder made into a drink.

I would then add the B Complex, give it a week and if all is fine then add the B12. B Vits should be taken in the morning as they are stimulating so you don't want them later in the day. I take those with my breakfast.

I see from a previous post that your Vit D is about 12, and your GP has given you 20,000iu one every two weeks, so that's 10,000iu per week. I agree with Clutter in her reply to your post when you mentioned that, you should be having something like 40,000iu daily, not 10,000iu weekly. My Vit D was 15 when I was tested, I took 40,000iu daily for 2-3 weeks, then reduced to 5,000iu daily. I got my level up from 15 to 202 in two and a half months, I then reduced the dose to 5,000iu Monday to Friday only (so 25,000iu a week) and my level dropped to 152 so I was happy with that and contininued with a maintenance dose.

When taking D3 you need K2 also. Vit D aids absorption of calcium and K2 directs the calcium to the bones and teeth rather than arteries and soft tissues. Look for K2-MK7. I doubt whether your doctor even knows about that, let alone advises you or prescribes it.

Take D3 and K2 with dietary fat, but take them at different times of the day.

If your prescribed D3 also contains calcium, did your GP do a calcium test? As D3 aids absorption of calcium, it's important to know that you aren't already too high in calcium.

in reply to SeasideSusie

Go girl...you know I love it when you mention the K2 Mk7 x

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to

Ha ha Hidden 😂

Cariad-y-Mor profile image
Cariad-y-Mor in reply to SeasideSusie

SeasideSusie Hi....have just read your post. Sorry but I am probably a bit of a dumbo !! but what is K2-MK7 ? ( it sounds like a suped -up sports car..and I could do with a turn of speed ! ).

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to Cariad-y-Mor

Cariad-y-Mor It does sound a bit like a sports car doesn't it, shame it doesn't give us a bit of vrooom....... 😁

K2 is a fat soluble vitamin, there is K1, K2-MK4 and K2-MK-7. Briefly, K1 helps with blood clotting, K2 helps with sending calcium to where it should go ie bones and teeth and prevents it from going where it shouldn't go ie arteries and soft tissues.

As Vit D aids the absorption calcium from food, it's important that the calcium goes to the right place, hence also supplementing with K2.

For the difference between MK4 and MK7 see thehealthyhomeeconomist.com... . There are other articles which discuss this and the general consensus seems to be that MK7 is the preferred form.

Cariad-y-Mor profile image
Cariad-y-Mor in reply to SeasideSusie

SeasideSusie Thank you so much for explaining....yup I could definately do with some vroom ☺. I have started taking vitaminB 12 and vitaminB complex but

I haven't started taking vitaminD yet.....I think I need to get my levals checked first. I am probably being a bit of a "baby" but vitaminD sounds a little bit scary with a possibilty of taking too much ! 😢

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to Cariad-y-Mor

Yes Cariad-y-Mor do get it tested. Either through your GP or City Assays who do a home fingerprick blood spot test for £28, then you can post your result and someone will suggest what dose is relevant :)

Cariad-y-Mor profile image
Cariad-y-Mor in reply to SeasideSusie

Thank you. ☺

Martina profile image
Martina in reply to SeasideSusie

SeasideSusie Thank you very much for posting the link to the article explaining the difference between MK4 and MK7. I have been taking Vit D3 4000iu and 150mcg per day of Vit K2-MK7. I used to take them together, which doesn't seem to be a good idea as in the article it's said they should be taken apart, and I took them in the evening. Recently I have been sleeping very badly, waking up in the middle of the night with my heart beating fast. I thought it was because of stress or worries, but I have read in the comments to that article that some people are complaining of palpitations linked following use of Vit K2 as it might cause a stress to the heart! Yesterday evening I took neither Vit D3 nor Vit K and I slept better, I'll go on experimenting for a few days if my sleep gets more peaceful if I leave out the Vit K:-))

In any case, thank you very much indeed for the link you posted as I would never have thought of a connection between Vit K2 and palpitations!

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to Martina

Martina Don't forget that Vit D aids absorption of calcium and you need K2 to do direct the calcium to bones and teeth rather than arteries and soft tissues. Maybe if you got a lower dose K2 supplement that might help, a lot of them seem to be 100mcg dose.

Martina profile image
Martina in reply to SeasideSusie

SeasideSusie Yes, this is what was explained in the article you posted, that we need K2 to shuttle the calcium away from arteries into the bones/teeth where it belongs. Many people were commenting they do better on Thorne MK4 supplement which comes in drops so one can adjust dosage. I need to experiment, as you kindly suggests, with a lower dosage ..but in the meantime I'm going to grant myself a few days without D/K2 supplements to see whether my sleep gets more peaceful:-) Have a nice evening

Nanny23 profile image
Nanny23 in reply to SeasideSusie

Hi I take d 3 but cannot find l2 anywhere. Any advice appreciated thankyou

Nanny23 profile image
Nanny23 in reply to Nanny23

K 2 typo sorry

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to Nanny23

Here you go Nanny23 - amazon.co.uk/Jarrow-MK-7-90... This is the one I am going to order when my current supply runs out.

nikki2975 profile image
nikki2975 in reply to SeasideSusie

Hi seasidesusie,

My Magnesium is in tablet form and I have been taking them 2 a night before bed but nothing's happening. I don't feel relaxed and still have the same amount of sleep and around the same amount of restlessness a night according to my Fitbit. It's not helping me with myconstipation and I'm still getting throbbing pains and cramps during the day and after work. I have had them for 5 nights and the last 2 mornings I have woken up with either a migraine or headache.

What should I do about the D3? My previous prescription for them was for 20,000iu twice a week so should I just stick to that instead of the updated one?

Will I be OK to start the B Complex now as I'm really struggling for energy and it's affecting my ability to do my job?

Ive had a blood test for Calcium and that was in range but I'm not sure if it was optimal. I do crave a lot of Milk and Cheese and have done for the last year. I think the results were on the post Clutter replied to but I'll see if I can find it again.

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to nikki2975

nikki2975 What is the dose of mag citrate in the tablet?

I think that we don't all react the way we are led to believe we will with these supplements. Mag citrate on it's own does not help my constipation. It doesn't help me sleep but I've had many years of poor sleep. But it's an important addition to the supplement regime and I like the powder formula rather than more tablets so I'm happy to continue and have to deal with those problems in a different way.

Because you are waking up with a headache you could either try taking it earlier (mine says take in 2 or 3 divided doses throughout the day) or look through the different forms of magnesium to see of there is another one you might want to try

naturalnews.com/046401_magn...

For VitD, I would go with what Clutter suggested - 40,000iu daily for two weeks, I did that and then I took 5,000iu daily. When I retested after 2.5 months my level was up to 200 so I reduced to 5,000 Monday to Friday only and got it down to 150 and was happy with that.

If you want something different from what your GP prescribed, this is what I use bodykind.com/product/2463-B... it's a good one with only two ingredients and excellent value for money, I can't find that any cheaper.

Don't forget that you need K2 with Vit D.

You could start the B Complex in a couple of days if you continue with the magnesium, if you stop the magnesium then start the B Complex now. Don't expect to feel a sudden burst of energy. I have found that supplements work in quite a subtle way, you don't feel anything immediately but gradually you realise you feel better than you did. That's how it's been for me.

nikki2975 profile image
nikki2975 in reply to SeasideSusie

The Mag Citrate is only 135mg which is why i've taken the two together.

I can struggle to remember to take tablets so i try to do them all together if i can. i also struggle with wanting to take them which i think is because there is so many of them that need to be taken and the list keeps growing.

I didn't wake up with a headache or Migraine today so as i do tend to get migraines a lot i don't think it was connected to the Mag but i think i might try the Glycinate next as i've seen online a few people who have stopped getting Migraines since taking them.

From early age till about 6-7 years ago i used to get headaches at least once i week. all of a sudden that stopped and i started getting just Migraines....sometimes 2-3 times a week and could last up to 3 days at a time so i think i might give them ago when i've used up these ones.

I'll do that with the VitD...Is it two 7 days a week for the 2 weeks? I've ordered the K2 from the link you posted. hopefully it will arrive for when i'm ready to start them both after my B Complex.

I'll continue with the Magnesium as it's better than nothing and start the B Complex tomorrow. The Complex has 400mg of Folate and 600mg of B12 included and i also have another 5000mcg of B12 as i was advised on here to take the 5000mcg daily so should i take them together? I don't expect it to give me energy straight away but i'm hoping it will as i feel like i'm running on fumes and constantly trying to climb mountains.

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering in reply to nikki2975

nikki2975 Oh, tell me about it. How I long for a supplement holiday! On weekends, I only take my essential ones (the practioner recommended ones and adrenal support) so it's nice to only take two in the morning and two in the evening, weekdays I add my maintenance dose of others.

Would one of those 7-day pill organisers help? My late hubby had rucks of tablets to take and he found it very helpful when he bought one.

I suffer with daily headaches too, so I know how that feels :(

Your GP has given you 20,000iu Vit D tablets - yes? If so then yes, it's 2 a day for 2 weeks. Do you have enough? If not those Doctors Best ones are very good, small soft gels and very easy to swallow, and remarkably inexpensive for such a good product in that bumper pack I linked to.

If your GP wont retest your Vit D and you want it done, City Assays do an at home fingerprick blood test for £28. They recommend testing levels a couple of times a year.

I take all my B vits together, the Complex and the B12. Don't worry about there being the extra bit of B12, any excess is pee'd out.

nikki2975 profile image
nikki2975 in reply to SeasideSusie

I have one already but it doesn't really help.

So far i have to take Iron. VitD , B12, B Complex, K2 and Magnesium. I also have to take Fybogel & Laxido for the Constipation, Sertraline for my Depression and now i've been diagnosed with Polycystic ovary, Fatty Liver Disease and an undiagnosed problem with my Bowels so i'm gonna be on meds for them three after seeing the specialists and then lastly, i'm not taking meds for my Thyroid yet as it's within range but they said that was only for the short term and that they would put me back on them sooner rather than later :( I need to find a way to fit them all in. (sorry if tmi)

I should have enough VitD for the 2 weeks as i never used any of the previous pack which has 30 in if i remember rightly. I also shouldn't have a problem getting re-tested as they always seem to want to check them lol

I'll take the B-Complex and B12 together then and then onto the VitD &K2 and lastly the Iron which is the one i'm most dreading.

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